Emily B. Martin
  • Books
    • A Field Guide to Mermaids
    • The Outlaw Road Duology
    • The Creatures of Light Trilogy >
      • Characters
      • Coloring
      • Spoiler Gallery
      • Fan Gallery
    • Other Works
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
  • SHOP

Blog

Jump-Starting Your Protagonists

4/30/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
It’s not going to be a long blog post this month, because I have precisely five days before I need to be in a car with my husband and all my worldly possessions and heading cross-country to Yellowstone. But being in the thick of several manuscripts at all different stages—one in plotting, one in drafting, and one in editing—I wanted to share some great tips I’ve gathered over the years on jump-starting protagonists. Think of them as icebreakers for authors, only less horrible than real social icebreakers because your characters can't judge you. 

So many of my protagonists start out as little more than a suggestion—a role to fill (Mae), a foil to another character (Rou), a catalyst (Celeno). Often, it’s not until I reach the end of the first draft that I understand exactly who that character is and how to achieve their full potential. Sometimes that makes drafting hard, especially when I need a character to make a big decision—by the time I was writing Creatures of Light, I knew, for example, how Mona would react in any given situation. But as I was drafting book 1 of The Outlaw Road, with new characters, I had to do a lot more puzzling. What choices would this character make? How do they handle their problems? How do they react when they fail?
Picture
Sulking, mainly.
​There are lots of great character-building exercises and activities available online and in writers' workshops to help you get to know your protagonist, but I have a few go-to aids that I use when I realize I need to know more about them. Check them out below the jump!

Read More
0 Comments
    Picture

    Emily B. Martin

    Author and Illustrator

    Picture
    Purchase Sunshield
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Purchase Woodwalker 
    Purchase 
    Ashes to Fire
    Purchase Creatures of Light

    Archives

    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Ashes To Fire
    Character Design
    Contests
    Cosplay
    Creatures Of Light
    Discounts & Promotions
    Event
    Fan Art
    Fanfiction
    Favorite Books
    Floodpath
    For Artists
    For Readers
    For Writers
    Giveaways
    Guest Post
    Inspiration Spotlight
    Little Tiger
    Lord Of The Rings
    National Park Service
    Night Night
    Parenthood
    Park Ranger
    Personal
    Querying
    Spoilers
    Sunshield
    The Outlaw Road
    Tutorials
    Woodwalker
    Worldbuilding
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Picture

Emily B. Martin

INPRNT SHOP
Unless otherwise stated, all artwork is produced by Emily B. Martin.
​Please do not use artwork without permission.
Purchase Mermaids
PURCHASE SUNSHIELD
Purchase WOODWALKER
Thanks for visiting!
  • Books
    • A Field Guide to Mermaids
    • The Outlaw Road Duology
    • The Creatures of Light Trilogy >
      • Characters
      • Coloring
      • Spoiler Gallery
      • Fan Gallery
    • Other Works
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
  • SHOP